Wednesday, December 8, 2010

For Laura, dating Craig, an air force pilot, has been nothing but great. Bonding with Craig’s three housemates who served with him has been an experience in military closeness and deep admiration for men in uniform. The news that they’ve shared everything, including women, is arousing and a bit of a challenge. And Laura wants to take it on. The guys ease her into action, and soon, she can’t imagine life any other way….even if one of the guys is a bit reserved with her. But Laura's biggest adjustment will be to their weird work schedule. Three months on duty and three months on her!

Excerpt:

Some days, Laura swore she was dating four men instead of one. When she’d met Craig, all stunning in his Air Force uniform, she’d had no clue he was a package deal. It was movie night, and she hung out in the living room with them.

“Anyone want more pizza?” Craig asked.

Craig lived with three other Air Force pilots who had served together in Iraq. The more time she spent in their Cape Cod house, the more she learned. They’d saved each other’s lives, shared everything and kept each other sane. The idea of any of them in danger made her anxious. They were all great guys.

“We should’ve gotten Chinese,” she replied. After almost three months of dating him, she spent most of her time at their house rather than her apartment. Four sexy men, who wouldn’t want that eye candy around? And at night, Craig kept her coming back for more and coming loud.

Sitting on the couch, watching a movie with all four, she wondered why Craig encouraged her to be loud in bed. It seemed insensitive to his pals. Still, there was no reason to rub in that he had a sex life. The others were single.

Nick sat on the loveseat and was openly bisexual. He was on the shorter side for a military guy but with dark hair, lots of muscle to admire and eyes that never missed a thing. Nick talked about sexy men with

Laura, but she’d caught him eying her breasts like the rest of them. “Yeah, bet I can swallow an eggroll deeper,” he challenged her.

Laura glared at him and grinned. “I bet you can.”

Craig was on one side of her, a tall, brown-haired, blue-eyed muscle man she leaned on. On the other side of her, Sean played “remote commando”. He was blond with green eyes and lean muscles. He was the guy in the house who flirted with her the most outside of Craig. She knew he’d been through a bad breakup just before she’d started dating Craig, and she suspected he was just lonely for a woman.

Roger sat on the loveseat with Nick, a bowl of popcorn between them. Tall and lean, he said the most with his silence. With rust-brown hair and hazel eyes, Roger had a couple of years on Craig and the others and was the most withdrawn, but he treated her like a lady. Laura guessed he’d had it rough overseas. Craig told her Roger was the rock who kept the younger guys in line and focused. They tended not to talk about the danger they faced in those days, but she sensed it.

Snuggling closer to Craig, the testosterone fog enveloped her. Four men made the masculine feel of the house palpable. But she was so grateful to the other three that Craig was here to be with her. She loved them all. Knowing them for three months now, she truly liked them. They were so different yet they got along.

Still it was hard not to be able to crawl into Craig’s lap and screw him or just get naked and suck him off. The idea of the other men watching added a thrill. But she and Craig only did stuff in the bedroom when they were alone.

She broke the silence. “You’re all really going away for three months?”

The prospect of being alone that long didn’t thrill her, but it made her more aware and appreciative of every minute they had together…intimate or otherwise. Maybe that was what added to her sex drive?

“That’s the schedule. Get used to it.” Sean yawned.

Craig had been upfront about it when they’d started dating, but now, it was here.

“You’re going to miss us?” Nick teased.

“She’ll miss Craig. No one will miss you!” Roger grabbed some cheese popcorn from the bowl between them and pelted Nick with a few pieces.

Laura grinned. They were so close. At times, it felt like they were brothers, but she knew the military service bond was deeper.

“I’ll miss all of you. I feel like I live here sometimes. I’m not in the way of bonding time, am I?” She glanced at Nick, Roger and Sean then to Craig.

“Hell no. It’s good to have someone pretty to look at around here.” Sean tickled her toes. “If you two want private time, just go. Or kick us out.”

“I have an apartment; I just like it here. It’s a real house.” Since grad school, she’d moved around, college to college, until she’d found the right professor position with tenure track. “And I grew up with all girls so it’s nice to have some men around.”

“Your dad bailed?” Roger asked.

Laura realized Craig hadn’t told them her background. And she’d never gone into it with them. “He was a truck driver, long hauls. Nothing tragic, but with three sisters and a mom all needing attention, it was hard. He worked a lot. I was the independent one who took care of myself.”

“It’ll be déjà vu when we all leave.” Nick threw popcorn at Roger.

“I’m an adult now. I can entertain myself. Work and plenty of friends. I’ll live.” She picked the most buttered piece of popcorn from the bowl she shared with Craig and Sean.

“Ms. Independent.” Craig kissed her softly.

“Not like that needy bitch Sean tried to date.” Nick frowned.

“What? She couldn’t handle three months alone?” Laura asked.

Sean sighed and shot Nick a dirty look. “No, she couldn’t deal with the idea of it. I told her when we were dating for a week.”

“Honest is good.” Laura patted Sean’s shoulder. “It does take some getting used to for people who have normal routines.”

“I told her. She met the guys, said she liked them. We dated. I reminded her when I was going. She said fine.”

“Denial,” Roger said.

“Bingo. She said she had a wedding to go to on the weekend after I left. She flipped when she realized I couldn’t go.”

“Flipped!” Nick nodded. “Here at the house in front of all of us.”

Sean looked down. “We broke up.”

“I’m sorry.” Laura shook her head. “I have a sister like that. The baby. She wanted all the attention from everyone. It was on her terms, or she wasn’t happy.”

“Did she grow out of it?” Craig asked.

“No, she married a guy who was an only child so she got all of his attention and his family’s attention. People find the right match eventually.” She hugged Craig. She’d found her match. Laura loved how Craig could be playful in bed and go off to fly military aircraft.

“You don’t need to worry about the house. Our neighbors will look in on it. That’s normally what we do.” Roger had a leadership streak, and he focused on business. Craig had told her Roger had been divorced in his mid-twenties. He seemed in no hurry to marry again.

“I don’t mind. It’s on the way to work. If the weather gets bad, I can always sleep here.” Then she rethought it. “But I don’t want to be pushy. If your neighbors already have a key…”

Roger had always been the most cautious about her. Maybe his ex had left him for a younger man or a woman? He didn’t trust women. Laura decided to change the subject. “So Sean. How old was this girl you dumped?” Laura asked.

“Twenty-two.” Sean munched a handful of popcorn. “Why?”

“Too young. For college kids, the world revolves around them.”

“She’d graduated.”

“Still too young. You’re twenty-seven. You need an adult.” Laura licked butter off her fingers. She worked with college kids, maturity and trust made all the difference in a relationship.

“Go for an older woman like I did.” Craig said.

Laura slapped his knee. “I’m twenty-eight. You don’t call me old!”

“Older.” Craig emphasized. “Roger is thirty-four, he’s old.”

“I can still kick your ass.” Roger never seemed to get ruffled. “But I won’t because you need to report to work in less than a week.”

The tough talk made Laura’s skin tingle. “As long as Craig isn’t planning any more overseas tours.” She kissed his shoulder.

She let Craig’s attention sink into her. Soon she’d be missing him, but he’d be back and, she’d enjoy the emotional high of the reunion.

“Well, my ex liked when I was deployed for over a year, both times. She got to cheat. That’s why I stick with the military pals now. They don’t screw your girl behind your back.” Roger got up. “I’m off to bed.”

“True. If a military man is going to take your woman, at least, they let you watch. They’d want you to know about it.” Sean shut off the movie no one was watching.

Laura frowned. The party was breaking up, and asking about the sexual games these guys played in the military didn’t feel right. Nick cleaned up the cheese popcorn. Roger finished his usual door and window check before setting the alarm. Craig and Laura handled the buttered popcorn. Once things were clean, they headed up to bed.